Wow, what a year this was for padded pony fics! I suppose part of it may be due to "A New Generation" and all the new content that it seemed to touch off, but there were so many fics from both long time contributors and newcomers. Considering 2021 was full of ups and downs (mostly downs by year's end), I'm not sure what it was that brought out all these fics. Deciding on just ten of the best is tricky, a lot of fics that would've made the cut earlier in the year got knocked off the list proper by some stiff competition. As always though, this is all personal opinion. There's a good chance I missed something some of you really loved.

The same rules as always apply, and while I probably don't need to repeat them much I feel lie it's important to have them for those who've never experienced this sort of thing before. The rules are as follows:
1. The fic must've been published or updated at least once within 2021. For those that updated, check to see if they were included in any previous top ten lists and try to avoid the exact same placement for updated fics if possible.
2. Only one entry per author is allowed. Self explanatory, we don't want the list being dominated by one or two writers, we want even lesser known authors to have a chance to stand out. And we also want to put the spotlight on less frequently seen writers if they wrote something really group.
3. As these groups are technically SFW no linking to any of the fics may be allowed, some will inevitably be rated Mature and site rules forbid direct linking to any NSFW content (which a Mature rating comes with by default).
4. Self promotion is allowed, like always, but as much as possible avoid putting a story you wrote yourself at number one. Try to give another author top billing, even if you think you wrote something really good.
5. Give a brief explanation about why you chose the fics you did and anything you like about them. Think of it as a way to potentially lure other readers to them.
6. Honorable mentions are allowed, but like with previous versions I ask that you restrict them to three to five at the most. We don't want these lists getting too cluttered.

And now that we have that out of the way, here are my picks for the Top Ten Padded Pony Fics of 2020. Enjoy!:

10. A Royal Foal Swap, by Zubric: Just a cute little story of Cadence and Flurry Heart switching roles by accident. There aren't really that many padded pony works where Cadence is the baby, probably because she's so naturally suited to the role of caretaker. But that just means that when she is the baby in the story, it's all the rarer and usually sweeter for it.
9. Birthday Cake, by Foal Star: You know me, I'm always a fan of Foal Star's age regression stories and have been a long time contributor to some of them. But this one doesn't involve his usual age regression AU he's been setting up, this one is in set a different alternate timeline in which Pinkie Pie is the Cakes' third child. It's a sweet idea with some interesting developments, even if it's a little on the short side.
8. Sun, Stars and Padding, by SuperPinkBrony12: I always like to try new things and explore new boundaries in padded pony works, and this is no exception. This time I wanted to explore age play and AB/DL from within the context of a pre-existing relationship. I chose Starlight Glimmer because I think she lends herself quite well to the genre, and Sunburst was added since I think she has a stronger connection to him than she does any of her other friends.
7. Twilight's Dreams, by Naptime: Surprising to see this updated, even if it was just for one chapter. But that one chapter saw us waste no time and get right into the thick of things with Twilight and Shining Armor. I'm definitely intrigued to see where this goes if it ever updates again, but it doesn't seem to be a top priority for the writer and that's perfectly understandable given what he seems to enjoy writing. I may not personally care for it, but I know others enjoy it.
6. Photoshoot, by Nido_King: This was much higher on the list originally, but as other fics popped up it got knocked back. That's not to say this fic isn't good because it is, though it is pretty much what it says on the tin with the cover image: Minuette being a diaper model for adult foal magazines. I'm honestly surprised the idea wasn't thought of sooner given how similar Minuette is to Pinkie Pie. Nido_King continues to delight with his padded pony works time after time.
5. Baby Makes Two, by FlatPancake: An unexpected but quite welcome sequel to "An Evening to Herself", which was a cute little story in its own right. The only way to make it cuter is to double the fun and add Fluttershy to the mix, and have all the fun take place at her cottage. It is a bit quick to start out, but that just means it gets to the thick of things sooner. And it leaves room for possible future installments, though I'm also curious to see what else the author might have in store for padded works.
4. Baby of the Family, by Wandering Pigeon: Guess who's back? Back again? After only making it onto the honorable mentions last year, Wandering Pigeon came back in an unexpected way with this story. Yes, it's not the first padded pony work to featuring a bed wetting Marble Pie, but this one changes things up by adding Limestone and Maud to the mix as they too have to deal with the issue. And it leads to a rather unexpected ending that I'm not going to spoil for all of you, read it for yourself if you want to know what the twist is.
3. Pampered Princess Park, by Midnight Shadows: Yet another commission from Midnight Shadows, who continues to do quite well with them. This one is a simple enough story: Twilight and Cadence decide to go to an amusement park, but a mix-up causes Twilight to be treated like a foal in order to get in. It's got filly Twilight and foalsitter Cadence, and it flows quite well as the story progresses. It would be higher if not for it being a commission, meaning someone requested the story idea.
2. Something to Rave About 2: Second Night, by hawthornbunny: Not since "Starlight's Secret" in 2016 has this author done a padded pony work, which means it was quite a surprise to see them return to the scene with an unofficial sequel to a Wandering Pigeon story. There already was an unofficial sequel, but that one doesn't seem likely to update anytime soon. This one was not as lengthy compared to its predecessor, but it still did good with the three chapters it provided and led to some unexpected developments. Yours truly is considering an unofficial sequel to this one given how this story ended. Ultimately though, there's one story that I knew was going to take the top spot from the moment it first cropped up.
1. Indiscreet Shipping, by IceStorm: A newcomer to the padded pony scene and a writer who came back this year after a seven year long hiatus from the site, IceStorm really surprised me with this fic. Octavia by herself has almost never been the focus of padded pony works, so to put her front and center was surprising and played out so well. This one really delves into the psychological aspects of the world of AB/DL, showing how easily misunderstood it is and why so many littles often go to great lengths to conceal their secret, fearful of what others will think if they find out. But deep down, all they really want most of the time is understanding and acceptance, many of them can and do lead healthy and productive lives despite their indulgence. The fact that Vinyl Scratch is absent from pretty much this entire fic and Octavia is front and center for most of it is enough to push this story to the number one spot.

Honorable Mention 1 - Sprout's Second Chance, by milesprower06: There's been a few padded pony works featuring the G5 ponies already, but this one definitely stands out the most to me. Given how Sprout was very much a mama's boy throughout "A New Generation", him being punished in such a fashion is believable (and something quite a few artists have already run with). It's also integrated some of the other G5 ponies quite nicely, though I do get the sense that this story is more or less being written up as it goes. That's not a bad thing though, the switch in focus has felt natural. I did consider putting it on the list proper, but I just felt more strongly about the stories I added.
Honorable Mention 2 - A Haunted Nursery, by Matt11: Though not the first time this concept has been tackled, it is still interesting to see where it has gone so far. Focusing on Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle is nice, even if the show never stated it outright it would seem the two were friends before they met Apple Bloom. There's already promise even though this fic has only two chapters so far, but that also means it didn't quite have what it took to get onto the list proper.
Honorable Mention 3 - Sweetie's Little Accident, by The Killer Legacy: This fic was originally on the list proper, but as the year went by and other stories came along they were enough to knock this story down to the honorable mentions. Only one update was released this year, and it was fine for what it was. But the bigger questions touched off by where this fic ended last year have yet to be addressed.
Honorable Mention 4 - Dashie and the Padded Bolts, by freedome-blitz: The third straight year in which this fic updated only once, and like "Sweetie's Little Accident" it was originally on the list proper before it got knocked back by some very strong competition. The mystery still remains, but I suspect it won't be too much longer before the big reveal comes around. Plus, there's a development that's going to be quite interesting whenever this fic gets updated again.
Honorable Mention 5 - To Be Cared For, by Nido_King: What few fics there have been where Silverstream is involved in AB/DL, she's been the caretaker or the mommy. I suppose that's because she's a big sister, but with her personality I've always felt like she would be more natural as the baby, and this fic seems poised to do just that. As of right now it's only got one chapter and not much has happened, but I'm definitely interested to see how things progress and where they go. Maybe next year, with more updates, this fic will be a contender for the top spot.

And there you have it, folks. As always, I'm looking forward to hearing what you all think of this list and what padded stories you think deserve a shout-out. I'm sure I most definitely missed some of your favorites this time, given how many there were to consider for 2021. Here's to hoping the pace continues in 2022.

this story is more or less being written up as it goes.

Guilty.

7624265

Not since "Starlight's Secret" in 2016 has this author done a padded pony work

Oh god don't say it was that long ago, I feel super old now aaaaaaaaaaaaah

Thanks for putting this together, and for featuring my fic (particularly at such a high placement! ) AB stories can be a bit scattered around sometimes so it's nice to get them together in one place. :)

I don't have enough fics fresh in my mind to put together a top ten ranking, but I can add my two cents on some of them:

* Sun, Stars and Padding by SuperPinkBrony12: Starlight Glimmer as an AB? It'll never catch on. I am, I confess, very much a Starburst shipper, so this fic was a double treat for me. I enjoyed seeing the two taking on the challenge of a new element to their relationship, and Sunburst being a champ throughout the whole thing. Like, if your boyfriend is willing to change your diaper, that's a sign he loves you. :) Really adorable to see them take on their separate tracks, Starlight getting to openly enjoy herself as an AB for the first time, and Sunburst learning the ropes of being a good caretaker.

* Photoshoot by Nido_King: I got an unexpected bonus with this one, because I somehow missed that they'd published a second chapter until now. That makes the ending all the more surprising to me, to find that they had Moondancer down as a surprise AB, just like I did in StRA 2. I had no idea! The second chapter really rounds out the fic nicely. Seeing a confident pony like Minuette in her element is a lot of fun, and as you'd expect from a Nido_King fic, it's adorable throughout. My only minor gripe is that it's a bit too "tell-y", but it's hard to avoid that when there's no need for dialogue.

* Baby of the Family by Wandering Pigeon: One of WP's strengths as a writer is his ability to craft a story with such clever and tight plot logic that it feels perfectly real and plausible, even as it drives you further and further into delightful AB shenanigans. And that's how you end up with three wet Pie Sisters in a bed. A short but sweet read.

* Indiscreet Shipping by IceStorm: This story's quite rough around the edges - the dialogue formatting is a bit off, and the story feels very meandering, wandering back and forth between a few different subplots without really maintaining focus on the main one (that Octavia's secret package of diapers got left outside for everypony to see). The tone shifts quite wildly too, from cute AB roleplay to a rather uncomfortable domestic abuse subplot. However, these plot decisions do give it more of a slice of life feel, which is quite novel in an ABDL fic and adds to the realism. But for me, the story's main draw is that it has one of the best depictions of ageplay I've seen in any AB fic, and coupled with Octavia's newness to being "out" as an AB, it was quite a compelling experience.

Yours truly is considering an unofficial sequel to this one given how this story ended.

Still looking forward to that, if you do get around to doing it!

7624353 I'm glad you enjoyed my StarBurst ageplay fic, and indeed love like that Sunburst showed is hard to come by.

Still looking forward to that, if you do get around to doing it!

With any luck, you won't have too long to wait to find out.

Like usual, I'm terribly behind on catching up with stories, so this list will be kind of short.

* Indiscreet Shipping by IceStorm: There have been a few padded Octavia stories before, but this one adds in the potential embarrassment with her secret getting out, only to lead to more acceptance, adorable ageplay moments, and new friends. My only complaint is the small dark bit near the end, since it kind of feels out of place with the cute atmosphere of the rest of the story, but not enough that it ruins it for me.

* Sunny, With A Chance of Precipitation by FoalishDesires: One of the first Gen 5 padded pony fics (that I found, anyway), and it hits all the right boxes. Seeing Zipp being such a chill mare after learning about Sunny's secret is great, especially with her being shown as a good big sister to Pipp as well..

* Baby Makes Too by FlatPancake: FlatPancake is a writer who so far personifies the saying "Quality over Quantity", since the two stories they've written have both been amazing. I adored the first story, so adding in Fluttershy for the sequel just multiples the cuteness.

*Foalish Desires by Foal Star: Dream fics are always a fun trip, since you can pretty much do anything with them. One moment everything makes sense, and the next the world hiccups for a brief moment and suddenly everything's different but no one either notices the changes, or even cares as they're being carted around in a stroller and sucking on a bottle.

Honorable Mention: Photoshoot by me: I'm just adding this one at the end cause I think this was the fic I had the most fun writing last year.